Six Sagas of Adventure

by Ben Waggoner (trans)

  [82] The same legal provision that invaders may not raid once they have been formally challenged and their battlefield marked with hazel stakes, also appears in Hervarar saga ch. 10 (ed. Tolkien, p. 55).

  [83] This place is Asatún in the saga, presumably the same as Assatún in Knýtlinga saga (ch. 12), the site of the final battle between Knut and Edmund Ironsides in 1016; probably modern Ashingdon, Essex. The forest nearby is called Kanaskógr in the saga, but Knýtlinga saga has Danaskógr, “Danes’ forest”. (ed. Bjarni Guðnason, Danakonunga Sögur, p. 112-113)

  [84] Skorsteinn appears as the site of yet another battle in 1016 between Knut and Edmund II Ironsides (Knýtlinga saga chs. 10; ed. Bjarni Guðnason, Danakonunga Sögur, pp. 108-109). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle names this site Sceorstan, the present-day Sherston in Wiltshire (ed. Whitelock, p. 95). Since Sherston is landlocked, no Vikings ever sailed there.

  [85] Norse pímet ok klaret, “pyment and claret”. Pyment is used today for mead brewed with grapes or grape juice (Schramm, The Compleat Meadmaker, pp. 121-128) but in the Middle Ages, pyment usually meant a sweetened wine. Claret or clary in the Middle Ages referred to wine (not necessarily red) poured through a bag of spices, flavoring and also clarifying it. (Adamson, Food in Medieval Times, pp. 50-51)

  [86] The preceding two sentences are essentially a long, rhythmic, half-rhyming string of dependent clauses, with all the verbs as present participles ending in –andi (equivalent to English –ing). This device, known as homoeoteleuton (words with similar endings), is typical of the elevated rhetorical style found in translated “sagas of chivalry” and also in saints’ lives and other religious texts. The entire description of the wedding feast resembles the “sagas of chivalry,” with a heavy use of foreign words (kurteisir, klaret, salteríum, etc.), parallel clauses and synonyms, and assorted flourishes. (Þórir Óskarson, “Rhetoric and Style,” p. 366-369) I have tried to capture this elevated style in my translation.

  [87] The text reads Helsingjaborg, which is the Norse name for Helsingborg in Sweden. No town in England is known to have had that name; it’s presumably a mistake for Helsingjaport, used in Heimskringla for Hastings. Helsingjaport is itself probably a scribal error for Old English Hæstinga port. (Gade, “Northern Lights on the Battle of Hastings”, p. 65 n1)

  [88] The source of this geographic digression is uncertain; it might be a highly abridged version of the opening of Bede’s History, which also mentions crops, cloth, and metals. In any case, it agrees well with most descriptions of England in both historical and legendary sagas, as a rich country with excellent trading prospects. See Fjalldal, Anglo-Saxon England, pp. 25-26.

  [89] Harald Sigurdsson is better known as Harald Hardrada. His sailing from the Baltic up the Limfjord and having his ships dragged over a narrow low isthmus between the Limfjord and the North Sea is described in Haralds saga Sigurðarsson in Heimskringla, ch. 60, where “Harald’s Neck” (Haraldseið in this saga) is called Lúsbreið (“broad as a louse”). In Heimskringla, Harald is said to have been escaping the Danes, not the Swedish king.

  [90] This digression closely parallels a description of Denmark in Knýtlinga saga, ch. 32 (ed. Guðnason, Danakonunga Sögur, pp. 150-152). Knýtlinga saga lists the “important cities” as diocesan seats and includes information on their bishops and churches. The author of Göngu-Hrólfs saga did not mention the churches, possibly because it would have clashed with the pagan atmosphere he was trying to create (Hartmann, The Gǫngu-Hrólfssaga, pp. 72-75). On the other hand, he may have used a lost source that was also used by the author of Knýtlinga saga, who added the church-related material (Jackson, “On the Possible Sources of the Textual Map,” pp. 62-70).

  [91] The second part of Hrómunds saga Gripssonar (chs. 6-8) tells how King Olaf was attacked by Helgi Haddingjaskati (“Champion of the Haddings”) but defended by Hromund Gripsson.

  [92] In the surviving version of Hrómunds saga Gripssonar, Olaf’s sisters are called Dagny and Svanhvit. After a battle, Svanhvit helps Hromund, but she takes him to an old man named Hagal and his wife, who nurse him back to health (ch. 8). As discussed in the Introduction, this difference is evidence of how the story of Hromund Gripsson grew and accreted material; the author of Göngu-Hrólfs saga may have been working from an older version of the story in which Hagal and his wife had not been interpolated. (Andrews, “Studies in the Fornaldarsǫgur Norðrlanda I”, pp. 39-40; Jesch, “Hrómundr Gripsson Revisited,” pp. 94-95)

  [93] Several persons named Hörða-Knútr are mentioned in various sources, but only the youngest—King Hardecanute of England—is well attested historically. The name might have been borrowed from Knýtlinga saga.

  THE SAGA OF HROMUND GRIPSSON

  Hrómundar saga Gripssonar

  CHAPTER I

  A king named Olaf ruled over Russia.[1] He was the son of Gnod-Asmund,[2] and a renowned man. Two brothers, Kari and Ornulf, were in charge of defending the king’s lands. They were mighty warriors.

  A powerful farmer named Grip lived there. He was married to a woman named Gunnlod, the daughter of Hrok the Black.[3] They had nine sons, and these are their names: Hrolf, Haki, Gaut, Throst, Angantyr, Logi, Hromund, Helgi, and Hrok. They were all promising men, but Hromund was ahead of them all. He didn’t know how to be afraid. He had light eyes, bright hair and broad shoulders, and he was tall and strong, most like his mother’s father Hrok.

  There were two men in the king’s retinue, one named Bild and the other named Vali. They were wicked and deceitful. The king valued them highly.

  Once, King Olaf sailed eastward off the coast of Norway with his forces, and they headed for the Elfar Skerries.[4] They raided and anchored along an island. The king ordered Kari and Ornulf to go up onto the island and find out whether they could see any warships. They went up onto the land and noticed six warships anchored along a certain cliff, including one splendidly ornamented dragon-ship. Kari called out to them and asked who was in command of the ships.

  An ogre stood up on the dragon-ship and said that his name was Hrongvid—“but what’s your name?”

  Kari gave his name and his brother’s, and said, “I don’t know anyone worse than you, and therefore I’ll chop you into little pieces.”

  Hrongvid said, “I have been raiding for thirty-three years, summer and winter, and I have fought sixty battles and always won victory. My sword is called Mail-Piercer[5], and it has never been blunted. Come here in the morning, Kari. I’ll sheathe it in your breast.”

  Kari said that he wouldn’t fail.

  Hrongvid could choose one man to be stabbed by his sword’s point each day.

  CHAPTER II

  The brothers returned to the king and told him what had happened. The king ordered his men to give battle, and it was done. The two sides met, and a fierce battle broke out. The brothers advanced boldly. Kari always killed eight or twelve men with every stroke. Hrongvid saw that. He leaped up onto the king’s ship and charged at Kari and ran him through with his sword. As soon as Kari had received the wound, he said to the king, “Farewell, my lord. I must lodge with Odin.”

  Hrongvid impaled Ornulf on his spear and heaved him up. After the brothers fell, Hrongvid shouted that they should surrender. There was an angry uproar among the king’s men. No iron bit Hrongvid.

  It’s said that Hromund Gripsson was in the king’s retinue. He picked up a club, tied a long gray goat’s beard onto his face, and set a hat on his head.[6] He charged forward, and found both the brothers dead. He picked up the king’s banner and beat the black men[7] to death with his club.

  Hrongvid asked who that might be. “Could that be the father of that wicked Kari?”

  Hromund said his name, and he said that he wanted to avenge the brothers—“but Kari was no relation to me. All the same, I shall kill you.”

&
nbsp; With that, he gave Hrongvid such a mighty blow with his club that Hrongvid’s head was knocked askew, and he said, “I’ve been in battle far and wide, and never received such a blow.” Hromund struck Hrongvid another blow, so that his skull broke. At the third blow, he lost his life. After that, everyone who was left alive submitted to the king, and so the battle ended.

  CHAPTER III

  Now Hromund searched the ship and found one man leaning up against the prow. He asked the man his name. He said he was called Helgi the Bold, Hrongvid’s brother—“and I have no intention of asking for peace.”

  Hromund had Helgi the Bold healed. Helgi later sailed back to Sweden and took charge of the kingdom’s defenses.

  Afterwards, King Olaf led his forces westwards to the Hebrides. They landed there and pillaged. An old man lived nearby. The king’s men had taken his cattle and driven them away. He felt very wretched over this loss. Hromund came and asked who he was. The old man said that his home was a very short distance from there, and said there was greater honor to be gained by breaking into mounds and plundering riches from the dead. This old man said that his name was Mani.

  Hromund ordered him to tell him if he knew of any such mounds.

  Mani said that he certainly did know. He said, “Thrain, who conquered Normandy and was king there, a huge and strong berserk, full of magic spells—he was set in a mound with his sword, armor, and great riches. But few people have any desire to go there.”

  Hromund asked him what course they should sail to get there. He said that he could sail directly south for six days. Hromund thanked the old man for this information, gave him money, and let him take his own cattle. They sailed away in that direction that the old man had shown them, and after six days they saw the burial mound, right in front of the prow.

  CHAPTER IV

  They came to Normandy from the west and found the mound and broke into it. After six days had passed, they had made an opening into the mound. They saw a huge ogre sitting there on a throne, black and bloated, dressed all in gold so that he sparkled. He roared a great deal and blew on a fire.

  Hromund asked who wanted to go into the mound now, and said that that man could choose three treasures for himself.

  Vali said, “No one would want to give his own life for this. There are sixty men here now, and this troll will bring death to them all.”

  Hromund said, “Kari would have dared this, if he were alive”—and he said it would be most fitting for him to be let down on the rope, even though it might be preferable to have to deal with any other eight men. So Hromund went down on the rope. The stench was almost overwhelming.[8] And when he came down, he heaped up a great deal of wealth and tied it up with the end of the rope.

  Thrain had been king over Normandy in olden days, and gained everything by means of magic spells. He became very wicked. When he was so old that he couldn’t do any more harm, he had himself placed alive in the mound, and a great deal of wealth with him.

  Now Hromund saw where the sword was hanging up on a post. He pulled it down, buckled it at his side, and went up to the throne and said, “It must be time for me to leave this mound, since no one’s resisting. Say, how’s it going for you, old man? Don’t you see that I’ve piled up your wealth as you were quietly limping along, you mangy dog? What had you turned to look at when I took the sword and necklace and so many of your other treasures?”

  Thrain said that he felt it was no great matter if he should stay quietly on his throne. “I knew how to fight once. I must have become rather a weakling if you plunder my wealth by yourself. I want to keep the treasures from you. You should beware of me, since I’m dead.”

  Hromund said, “Haul yourself up on your feet, you weak little sissy, and take the sword back from me, if you dare.”

  The dead man said, “It does you no honor to bear a sword against me when I’m unarmed. I’d rather test my strength against you in wrestling.”

  Hromund threw down the sword, trusting his own strength. Thrain saw that and let down his cauldron, which had been hanging up. He was scowling, and he blew on the fire so that he was ready to eat from the cauldron.[9] There was a great flame between the cauldron’s legs, and it was filled with human corpses.[10] He was wearing a tunic embroidered with gold. Both his hands were twisted, and his nails curved down over his fingertips.

  Hromund said, “Get off your throne, you cowardly wretch, stripped of all your wealth.”

  The dead man said, “Now it must be time to get on my feet, since you’re questioning my courage.”

  The day had passed and evening was coming on, and it grew dark inside the mound. Thrain went to wrestle with Hromund, throwing down his cauldron. Hromund put forth his strength, and they went at it so fiercely that pebbles and stones flew into the air. The dead man dropped to one knee and said, “You’ve staggered me, and you’re certainly a strong man.”

  Hromund said “Get back on your feet, and no propping yourself up. You’re far weaker than old man Mani said.”

  Then Thrain began to turn into a troll, and the mound was filled with a vile stench. He sank his claws into the back of Hromund’s neck and tore the flesh from his bones, all the way down to his loins. He said, “You can’t complain, even though this game’s turned rough and your back’s gone sore, because now I shall tear you in two alive.”

  “I don’t know how a pack of cats got into this mound,” said Hromund.[11]

  The dead man said, “You must have been raised by Gunnlod. There are few like you.”

  “It’ll be bad for you to claw me any longer,” said Hromund.

  They wrestled so fiercely and so long that everything around them shook—until, in the end, Hromund brought Thrain down with a leg-throw. By then it had grown very dim. The dead man said, “Now you’ve beaten me by your skill, and my sword is captured. That puts an end to our game. I have lived a long time in my mound and hung onto my wealth, but it’s no good putting too much trust in your own treasures, even if they seem fine. And I never supposed that you, Mistletoe, my good sword, would do me harm.”

  Hromund got free and picked up the sword and said, “Tell me now how many men you vanquished in duels with Mistletoe.”

  “A hundred and twenty-four,” said the dead man, “and I never got a scratch. King Seming,[12] who ruled in Sweden, and I put our skills to the test, and he thought it would be a long time before I could be beaten.”

  “You’ve done harm to men for a long time,” said Hromund, “and it will be a fortunate deed to let you die as soon as possible.”

  He chopped off the dead man’s head and burned him up completely on a pyre, and went out of the mound. The men asked how he and Thrain had parted. He said that it had gone as he wanted it to—“because I cut off his head.”

  Hromund took possession of three treasures that he fetched out of the mound: a ring, a necklace, and Mistletoe. Everyone got plenty of riches. King Olaf sailed away from there, northward to his own kingdom, and settled down quietly on his lands.

  CHAPTER V

  After that, Hromund was very famous, popular and generous. He once gave a good gold ring, which weighed an ounce, to a man named Hrok.[13] Vali managed to find out, and he killed Hrok during the night and took the ring. When Hromund found out, he said that he would pay Vali back some day for his dirty trick.[14]

  The king had two sisters. One of them was named Dagny, and the other was Svanhvit. Svanhvit was foremost in every way, and there was no one like her between Sweden and Halogaland. Hromund Gripsson now stayed at home and enjoyed himself with Svanhvit, and never tried to avoid Vali or Bild.[15] She spoke with Hromund once and said that Vali and Bild would slander him to the king. He said, “I’m not afraid of any filthy cowards. As long as you’re willing to grant me an audience, I’ll converse with you.”

  But this slander became so strong that Hromund and his brothers had to leav
e the king’s household, and they went home to their father. A little while later, Svanhvit spoke with King Olaf and said, “Now Hromund, who most increased our honor, has been exiled from the king’s household. In his place, you have those two with you, who never care about their reputation or deeds.”

  The king answered, “I found out that he might seduce you. The sword shall sever your love.”

  “Little do you remember,” she said, “when he went into the mound alone, and no one else dared. Vali and Bild will be hanged first,” she said, and then she turned and went away.

  CHAPTER VI

  A little while later, two kings came from Sweden. They were both named Hadding.[16] Hrongvid’s brother Helgi was with them. They summoned King Olaf to battle, on frozen Lake Vanern in the west. He preferred to meet them, rather than fleeing his ancestral lands. He sent word to Hromund and his brothers to come with him. Hromund didn’t want to go anywhere, and he said that Bild and Vali would be quite helpful and accomplish everything with the king.

  The king left home with his forces. Svanhvit was broken-hearted over this, and she went to Hromund’s home. He welcomed her warmly.

  “Pay more attention to this favor I’m begging you for than to my brother’s demands,” she said, “and offer the king your help. I will give you a shield and this ribbon that goes with it. You won’t be harmed as long as you have that.”